


to the end

by piiisces



Category: NCT (Band), WAYV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Falling In Love, Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:01:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29688513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/piiisces/pseuds/piiisces
Summary: "ad finem." yukhei answered softly. “it means ‘to the end'."
Relationships: Wong Kun Hang | Hendery/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	to the end

it was quiet; only the sound of insects chirping under the moon. guanheng and yukhei sat on the worn down sofa of their current home. the cabin wasn’t the biggest place they’d ever stayed, but it was big enough. it was near a river, too, so it was perfect for fishing. they had found it after running through a forest, trying to get away from a small group of the dead, and decided to stay there until something were to inevitably go wrong. there wasn’t much left when they found it - a few cans of food and some dusty board games to pass the time.

“where were you,” yukhei began, “when the world went to shit?” 

guanheng breathed through his nose. “i was with someone. my boyfr-“ he stopped himself, “my ex-boyfriend.”

yukhei watched him as he spoke. “what happened?” he asked, carefully.

“we were doing alright, for a few weeks. we were held up in a bookshop, with a few other people we met. our food supply was very small, and we had already scavenged every shop on the street but, of course, it was all looted. it all went wrong when we decided it was time to move location. the dead were gathering on the street outside, and it was getting way too dangerous to stay there. so we made a plan. me and him were supposed to go out there and distract the dead so the others could run. we were meant to lead the horde into another shop and then escape through the back door. but...” guanheng paused, his eyebrows furrowed. 

“it’s okay. you don’t have to continue if you don't want to.” 

“no, i do. it’s just, i’m so... angry. i... i fell as he opened the back door. one of them grabbed my leg and fell on top of me. there was about twenty of them in that shop, and they were coming towards me... i was kicking and using all my strength to get it off me and he just... didn’t even do anything. i saw the look on his face as he ran out that door. he was scared, a coward. he never loved me, i knew that but... i never expected him to try and leave me for dead.” guanheng scoffed at the memory.

“wow... i... that’s- that’s horrible, guanheng, i’m so sorry that happened to you. that guy is an asshole.” yukhei said as he placed a hand on the other’s shoulder, trying to comfort him.

“i’m stupid. i am so stupid... i actually believed him when he told me he’d protect me.”

“you’re not stupid, guanheng. believe me.” yukhei said, sincerely.

guanheng looked up and met yukhei’s gaze. there was something between them, they could both feel it, ever since they met. ever since guanheng found yukhei in that caravan in the middle of nowhere, dehydrated and bleeding out of a poorly-bandaged leg wound. “you saved my life, remember? you treated my leg. you made me better. that’s not something a stupid man would do.” yukhei smiled. 

they take turns every night; one of them sleeps on the sofa, the other in the bed. neither location is considerably more comfortable than the other, but they’re happy with this rota. when they first arrived at the cabin, they began passing time at night by playing board games, reading old books or looking at photographs on the mantelpiece and making up stories about the previous owners. but recently they had started telling each other about their pasts; what their lives were like before the dead started rising. it was far more interesting than playing snakes and ladders. they told each other about anything and everything - concerts they’d been to, house party memories, the pets they had when they were kids. it kept them sane. during the day they’d run errands together, go fishing, take care of any dead that approached the area. though, there weren’t many around lately which was unusual, but neither of the two questioned it.

the sun rose and painted the sky a pinky-orange colour. it could almost be described as beautiful, if not for the fact that there were reanimated corpses roaming around under it.

guanheng sat by the river, on his fishing shift. maybe it was a bit boring doing the same routine every day, but it’s best to keep safe. who knows what could go wrong if they venture out again. “hey,” yukhei said as he sat down beside him.

“hi,” guanheng smiled, “what you doing?”

“oh, nothing. just finished chopping some wood for the fence.”

the two sat in silence for a few minutes, water gently lapping at the edge of the dirt.

guanheng turned to face the other. “hey, i never asked you where you were when everything fell apart.”

a small smile appeared on yukhei’s face. “well, i was... alone. i was alone for a while. i got separated from my friends at the beginning and... i tried to find them but i just couldn’t. i tried walkie-talkie, i tried leaving messages on signs, but nothing came of it. i was... i was really scared... i was getting hungry... and finally i found some other people... there was a few of them, and they had children too. i thought i could trust them but, well, that’s how i got an injured leg.” 

“what did they do to you?” asked guanheng, brows furrowed again.

“i just needed food and water, but they thought i was trying to trick them or something. i got angry when they refused to help me and... well, one of them put their knife in my leg. i get it, though. they needed to feed their children... and i shouldn’t have got angry.”

“it’s okay to be angry. it’s hard not to be angry now that the world is like this.”

“i guess so...” yukhei trailed off. as he looked over the water, he felt a warm hand slowly place on top of his. he turned his head back to see guanheng’s dark eyes looking back at him. times like this made it seem like everything was normal again. the younger’s mouth slightly parted and took a small breath in as his eyes slowly made their way down to yukhei’s lips. yukhei did the same. he began to move closer and- the fishing rod started to pull. guanheng’s head snapped back towards the river and started trying to reel the wire in. he struggled but with a bit of help he finally caught the fish. 

“well, here’s dinner.” he laughed.

the fence needed some more reinforcements and it was taking a while to fix, so they worked on it until the sun was almost ready to go down. “hey, come on. it’s getting late.”

“okay, i’ll be two mi-“ yukhei’s speech was cut off by his shock. “guanheng. guanheng, look.” he said as he pointed at something in the distance. there wasn’t just a few of the dead, it was more like a whole family.

“shit, yukhei! what are we meant to do!?” guanheng panicked.

“they’re on the other side of the river, that... that will slow them down a bit. we can wait 'til they cross and kill them one by one. are you up for that?”

“well, there’s no other option.”

“okay. guanheng, it’s okay.” yukhei assured. “we’ve done it before, we can do it again. there’s just a few more this time”

the two grabbed their weapons, a hunter knife for guanheng and an axe for yukhei, and made their way down to the river. it was never not scary - going up against a group of the dead. one bite and it’s over for you. the corpses splashed into the river as the pair waited on the other side. “you ready?” 

“yep.”

the first one made it over and approached guanheng, while two more trudged through the water behind. a quick stab to the brain and it was put out of its misery. yukhei’s axe made its way into the skull of another corpse. and another, and another, until there was only two left. “last two guanheng, you got that one?”

“yea- ah shit! yukhei!” guanheng yelled, after he accidentally dropped his knife. 

“guanheng! hold on!” yukhei drove his axe into the last dead one’s brain and quickly ran over to guanheng, who was on the ground using all his power trying to stop himself from being eaten. picking up the dropped knife, yukhei stabbed it into the side of the corpse's decomposing head and yanked it off of guanheng. he finally breathed out and fell back onto the ground. “that was close.”

“yukhei,” guangheng said, voice shaking, “thank you...”

“hey, i wasn’t just going to let that thing get you. no need to thank me.”

the sun had disappeared again for another day and the two made it back to the cabin. candles lit up their faces as they sat at the small kitchen table, exhausted. guanheng couldn’t help but think that yukhei looked best like this - covered in blood. maybe he was going insane or maybe the end of the world was just bringing out a side of him that he never knew existed, but he definitely couldn’t stop looking at yukhei’s blood-splattered face. he looked really beautiful like this. “you okay?” the taller asked. 

“uh, yeah. just really tired and need to wash this shit off me.”

yukhei nodded. “stay there, i’ll get a washcloth.”

“thank you for saving me today.” guanheng said softly as the taller helped him wash his face. 

“it’s no problem, guanheng. as i said, there’s no need to thank me.” yukhei wrung the cloth out into a bowl of water. “all done.”

“now, let me help you... you’re covered.” the candle flickered as yukhei took his blood-stained shirt off and discarded it behind him. guanheng took a deep breath and dipped the cloth into the water. it was silent again. he carefully placed a hand on yukhei’s shoulder and started cleaning his face for him. it had been a while since they needed to go out and fight like that, it started to feel like a distant memory. but guanheng couldn’t get enough of how lucas looked while doing it. he was so valiant and determined; the way he swang the axe was so smooth and skilled. he looked at yukhei’s eyes to see them already looking back at him. “nearly done.”

“hmm, okay.” yukhei hummed, a slight tinge of disappointment in his tone or maybe guanheng just imagined that. one final wring of the cloth and the job was done. 

“okay, you’re all cl-“ his words were cut short when yukhei leaned forward and put his head on the younger’s shoulder. 

“i’m so glad you found me that day.”

guanheng was taken aback by what he just heard. “i... yukhei...”

“no, really, i’m so grateful. thank you for helping me, then and now.” yukhei said as he sat up again. 

guanheng smiled gently, “i’m glad i found you too.” 

after a few seconds of silence, the space between them was closed when yukhei leant forward carefully and kissed him. it was soft at first, then it deepened.

guanheng wrapped his slender legs around the taller man as he was carried to the small bedroom. falling back onto the bed, guanheng panted as their lips parted. having yukhei over him was something he wanted for a long time but never thought it’d actually happen. he was beautiful. his broad shoulders, his muscular body... not to mention his perfectly structured face. he was like a dream. “hold on.” yukhei smiled as he got up and went towards the beside drawer. he came back holding a little square packet.

“wait, what?” guanheng laughed, confused, “when did you get that?”

“don’t you worry about that,” yukhei smiled as he starting kissing guanheng’s neck. “now get your shirt off.”

“so,” guanheng said as he circled his finger on yukhei’s chest. “are you going to tell me when you got the condoms?” 

yukhei smiled again and laughed. “i got them while we were running errands a while ago... you know, doing the essential shopping.”

“essential shopping, huh?” the younger laughed, “how many did you get?”

“hmm. there’s only a few... might need to go back to get more.”

“oh? so we’re doing this again?” guanheng joked as he raised an eyebrow.

“only if you want to.”

“you know i do.” he smiled and he kissed yukhei’s lips once more.

“good morning,” yukhei said as he sat down next to guanheng on the little porch stairs.

“morning,” guanheng said shyly.

“did you actually just blush? well, you definitely weren’t shy last night.”

“yukhei! oh my god, stop.” he laughed as he covered his face, his cheeks getting even redder.

the day ahead was just another day in paradise. first on the itinerary was to clear the river of the bodies they dealt with yesterday. second, continue working on the fence. third... well, maybe they’d make use of yukhei’s essential shopping.

yukhei reached into his pocket and pulled something out. “close your eyes and hold out your hand.”

“oh, what’s it going to be now? more  _ essentials, _ is it?” guanheng joked. his tone changed when he felt something on his palm, something he couldn’t figure out what.

“okay, open.”

looking down to his palm, guanheng’s eyes widened upon realising what he had been given. a simple silver necklace, with a small rectangular charm.

“oh my god, it’s- oh my god.” 

“do you like it?” yukhei asked hopefully.

“yes! oh my g- wow, yukhei.” the younger was overwhelmed. “how di- where...?”

“it was my mother’s.” yukhei explained. “my dad gave it to her. and... before she died, she passed it on to me. she put it in my hand and told me to give it to who i fall in love with... and... well...”

guanheng couldn’t stop his eyes from watering; he really couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “i- i don’t deserve this...”

“look at me, guanheng. you deserve this. i love you. i fell in love with you a long time ago... and i fall deeper and deeper everyday. so... i want you to have this necklace.”

tears started rolling down guanheng’s cheeks as he listened to the confession. when he was with yukhei, it felt like nothing was wrong. like the world was normal again. he wiped his face with his fingers and finally gathered the words to say. “i love you too, yukhei.” as he smiled, yukhei picked up the necklace and carefully placed it around guanheng’s neck and tightened the clasp. “what does it say?” guanheng asked as he looked at the charm held between his finger and thumb.

“ _ ad finem _ .” yukhei answered softly and the other looked up in curiosity. “it means ‘ _ to the end’. _ ”

as the butterflies danced in his stomach, guanheng looked at yukhei’s king eyes and repeated his words.

“ _ to the end _ .”


End file.
